This morning we were leaving Archiestown, heading to our final destination of Edinburgh. We decided to stop off to get some coffee before the long drive (a bit over 3 hours). Which actually was more like 4.5 hours, as we decided to re-route and stop at a distillery on the way.
Shortly after our visit to the bridge, Liz and I had a choice: go on the Glenfarclas tour or try to visit Glenturret Distillery (we had heard really great things about the grounds at the distillery). We opted to skip the tour, and chose instead to walk around in the final hour Glenturret was open.
And boy, am I glad we did.
At one segment: there were Highland Cows in the road. And I mean literally in the road. At least two of them were actually taking a nap, right on the road.
Our guide drove up to them slowly, and stood up on her ATV as a means to get their attention and to get them to move. A few did (begrudgingly and slowly) move along.
There was another couple, seated at the table next to us: Ian and Susan. Towards the end of the evening, we got to talking with them… and found out that they had won a contest for their charity work, during Covid. And as part of that contest, they chose to have dinner here, tonight.
The reason? It was also their wedding anniversary. And to top it off? It was ALSO their 12th wedding anniversary! What are the odds!?
One of many fields we passed by. I say again without hyperbole, if I stopped every time I wanted to take a photo… we would have never gotten very far.
We took a random road on our way back to the city, and it was one of the most enjoyable moments so far. Small roads, lots of small houses and farms.
Looking back, I absolutely love everything about driving in Scotland – particularly outside of the main cities. Getting lost and wandering around, I could have done this for hours on end.
It was actually difficult for us to stop walking, as we were looking for a “lookout” spot… but never quite convinced we passed it. There always seemed to be something more just around the next corner, something worth walking another 100 yards just to see.
Big travel day today. We had an early breakfast, then made our way to the ferry at Port Ellen for the 2 hour journey back to the mainland. And from there, we had another 1.5 hours to get to Oban for a 4PM tasting.
We waited so long, in fact, that we were at risk of missing our ferry to Jura (it’s a short distance, but we wanted to get over to the island for as much of the day as possible). I really hauled on the drive from Bruichladdich to Port Askaig – and just floored it on the straightaways (where it was just a single lane, and I could clearly see no one else was around).
This tasting was one of the most enjoyable ones of our whole trip. Many of the casks in this particular warehouse were “experimental,” and the whole tasting process/group was friendly and fun and really enjoyable.
Today: a big travel day for us. We have a series of ferries to catch, and two islands to visit, as we make our way to our next hotel.
Each bottle represents a single year. What I noticed was the color change, as the years progressed. What I missed was the volume of alcohol that evaporates, year to year (also referred to as “the angels’ share”).
Tour and tasting at Auchentoshan Distillery.
Our rental car for the next two weeks: it was a 20 minute drive from the airport to our B&B, but it was my first time driving overseas. I kept telling myself “Left Left Left Left” over and over, to try to remind myself to stay in the left lane.
Shortly after we both logged off of work, and shortly before we got into a car to get to the airport: a shared dram on the back porch. Looking out over the backyard, and also at the arbor (which we’re aiming to paint once we return).